1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to control lever extensions for construction vehicles and, more particularly, to steering control lever extensions for skid loader-type vehicles having a backhoe attachment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional skid loader has a cab which includes a driver's seat and a pair of steering control levers, one lever located on each side of the skid loader driver's seat. The driver moves and steers the skid loader by pushing or pulling on these steering control levers to move the skid loader in a forward or reverse direction or to turn the skid loader to the left or right.
Skid loader manufacturers manufacture backhoe attachments which can be attached to a skid loader to form a single skid loader/backhoe unit. The backhoe is generally attached to the skid loader forward of the skid loader cab and includes an elevated backhoe operating station having a backhoe operator's seat and a set of backhoe hand control levers. The backhoe includes a boom assembly that pivots around a horizontal pivot by means of a hydraulic ram. The outer end of the backhoe incorporates a bucket that is also pivotally supported about a horizontal pivot. The movements of the boom assembly and bucket are made possible by means of a hydraulic control system powered by the skid loader engine. Operation of the backhoe is controlled by the hand control levers located at the backhoe operating station.
A problem with these prior art skid loader/backhoe units is that the steering control levers in the skid loader cab cannot be operated from the backhoe operator's seat. Therefore, when the operator is seated at the backhoe operating station, he cannot move the skid loader/backhoe unit to reposition the backhoe. When the backhoe operator needs to reposition the backhoe by moving the skid loader, he must get off the backhoe operator's seat, climb into the skid loader cab, sit in the skid loader driver's seat and then operate the steering control levers to move the skid loader/backhoe unit. One problem with this arrangement is that it wastes valuable operating time caused by forcing the operator to travel back and forth between the backhoe operator's seat and skid loader driver's seat numerous times during the course of an average job simply to reposition the skid loader/backhoe unit. Another problem is that since the backhoe is located in front of the cab of the skid loader, visibility from the skid loader driver's seat is obstructed and many attempts may be necessary to correctly position the skid loader/backhoe unit so that the backhoe can be most effectively used.
What is needed is a device for remote operation of the skid loader steering control levers from the backhoe operating station. While remote lever operating devices are generally known in the art, these prior art devices are not designed for, nor could they be easily adapted for use with, a skid loader/backhoe unit as described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,801 to Downing et al. discloses an extension member for a tractor gear shift lever which permits operation of the gear shift lever from a remote location. The extension member is bracketed at one end to the gear shift lever and is also bracketed to a support which is required to be mounted on the tractor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,856 to Nudd discloses a mechanism for controlling engine speed of a tractor for operation of a rear mounted backhoe. The mechanism includes a complex series of brackets, flanges and plates which translate rotational movement of a hand throttle to translational movement of a fuel pump throttle lever. Additional extension control devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,597,722; 1,862,186; and 2,705,444. In each of these devices, a complicated series of levers is used to control operation of some aspect of a piece of equipment. These devices are generally complex to fabricate and generally require the installation of permanently mounted support members. Furthermore, the devices are generally difficult to install and even more difficult to remove when they are no longer required for operation of the equipment.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight, easily installed control lever extension for skid loader-type steering control levers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a control lever extension which can be easily removed and stored.